So I had a spoke break loose today. I check them at every oil change at a minimum and hadn't yet found a loose one. We'll I'm riding along today and I hear a slight ticking. The spoke was still in the rim and gouging the swing arm on the shaft side at each rotation. Pretty messed up. I only have @ 7200 miles on it and it's not yet a year old. Should Yamaha be responsible for the damage?
Spoke Broke Swing Arm Damaged
- Thread starter J.A.P
- Start date
Might be discretionary for Yamaha. We don't know all the circumstances of the spoke failure. It just broke? No heavy off-roading hitting a big rock, high speed pothole hits, recent tightening/adjustment, etc.? I have 17,000 miles on mine with no spoke failure and I check 'em when I check my tire pressure before riding but I've never even had to adjust 'em.
This is just what I think they'll do/say…
Unless you can prove it was clearly a defective spoke and that it broke causing the issue, I'll bet they'll say it was negligent maintenance on your behalf and you'll be stuck footing the bill. I HOPE I'm way off base here. But I'm one of those that prepares for the worse and hopes for the best….
Hoping it works in your favor!!!!
Unless you can prove it was clearly a defective spoke and that it broke causing the issue, I'll bet they'll say it was negligent maintenance on your behalf and you'll be stuck footing the bill. I HOPE I'm way off base here. But I'm one of those that prepares for the worse and hopes for the best….
Hoping it works in your favor!!!!
Zip tie your spokes together where they cross each other to help prevent any additional damage from a broken spoke.
All of us desert racers did this for years (using safety wire before there was zip-ties). I do this on all my spoke rims.
All of us desert racers did this for years (using safety wire before there was zip-ties). I do this on all my spoke rims.
scott123007
Well-Known Member
There have been countless posts about spokes coming loose when the bike is relatively new, and just as many posts with remedies to combat exactly what happened to you. What is unique to this wheel is the spoke nipple is not captured like on almost every other spoked wheel, so when these come loose the nipple unscrews completely and the spoke flails around causing the damage that you have. I can't argue with you weather or not you indeed checked your spokes every time you said you did, but I can tell you that however you were checking them, obviously didn't work. If you have taken your bike to a dealership for scheduled maintenance, you should have no worries with it being covered under warranty. If not, good luck.
Buzz Ricer
New Member
Zip ties are definitely the solution to this one as previously said. I lost 5 spokes off the rear wheel last year. It always on the rear wheel. If you have the YES plan Yamaha will probably do something for you. In my case they paid for some new spokes and new shaft back plate. NOT the labor.
EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
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What Stevepsd said. NOT tight, just loose around the junctions so they can't swing around if a nipple goes for a walkabout.
cosmic
Member
Yamaha replaced my rim. I don't know if it got bent form loose/lost spokes, or the other way around. There was barely a small scratch on the shaft. That didn't bother me. ::022:: ::008::
JRE
Going to hell on scholarship
Wow, what a great idea...thanks! Some glow in the dark zip ties might look pretty cool at nightstevepsd said:
Got any pics of the swingarm "damage?" I am curious as to what exactly a flailing spoke can do the swingwarm? Or are we just talking about some scarring up of the anodized finish on the swingarm?
Do you get the wheel balanced again after you do that?Buzz Ricer said:
Random ride
Member
I've heard about the loosening spokes, but never had any issues. I do check mine every time I change the oil, and periodically chime them with a wrench. I also zip tied mine, but used the white ones so they were basically invisible.
Zip tie the spokes on a street bike? Seriously?
I have a new 12 and I would never think to do this. Although it IS a very good idea! Every time I check the air pressure I spin the tire to listen/feel for a loose spoke. That's all I expect I need to do. If Yamaha expects more then I may need to rethink my purchase of this machine.
If they cant design a wheel where the spokes stay captive and/or dont break then they need another vocation and I need a different bike.
Seriously.....I have been riding dirt bikes since I was in grade school (now 51) and I have NEVER has a single spoke come loose off of countless spoked bikes.....Including a couple of GS bikes.
Good grief.....broken spokes on a STREET application.
Good luck OP and let us know how it turns out.
I have a new 12 and I would never think to do this. Although it IS a very good idea! Every time I check the air pressure I spin the tire to listen/feel for a loose spoke. That's all I expect I need to do. If Yamaha expects more then I may need to rethink my purchase of this machine.
If they cant design a wheel where the spokes stay captive and/or dont break then they need another vocation and I need a different bike.
Seriously.....I have been riding dirt bikes since I was in grade school (now 51) and I have NEVER has a single spoke come loose off of countless spoked bikes.....Including a couple of GS bikes.
Good grief.....broken spokes on a STREET application.
Good luck OP and let us know how it turns out.
Long history of spoke failures on the Tenere. Plenty of fodder here in the forums if you need that push to another bike. Or just check tension regularly and ziptie to avoid any issues with flailing spoke damage. Carry on....DonB said:
This thread is the first I've heard of the zip tie trick which I will do. I DO check my spokes OFTEN. I do not and will not check them every time I take a ride, nor should I have to. This was not a result of negligence on my part. It was the result of a faulty design and/or shoddy quality.
EricV
Riding, farkling, riding...
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Don - Consider a few realities of life. BMW owns the patent on their design for a tubless spoked wheel. Yamaha had to do something different, this is what they came up with. It works, but has some flaws, such as the potential for the nipple to come flying off if the spoke works loose. Also, read your owner's manual. It has an interval for checking your spokes. You'd do well to follow that interval too, especially for the first 1500-2500 miles, after which they mostly settle in. It's normal, and from this forums experience, (and mine), pretty darn common to find some lose spokes during this period and sometimes beyond. It's also normal to check them at the 600 mile, first service, so if you have the dealer do that service, make sure they check the spokes too. After around 20k I just checked them at tire change time, but have still found one that needed attention now and then. Never had one come loose though, knock on wood.DonB said:
I can't remember ever checking the spokes on my '40 HD, but then I didn't buy it new either! And it ran tubes.
Oh, and who told you this was a steet bike?
Mine goes off pavement plenty, though not nearly as much as many of the forum members. If it was strictly a street bike, we'd have cast wheels. Sometimes I wish we did have that option.